| And now on to the saga of one of the worse illnesses I've had to endure |
[Jan. 27th, 2009|12:03 pm] |
So I'm guessing what must have happened in my subconscious is, after seeing all the people around me getting sick and going to hospitals and causing panic and worrying, it said, "Hey! We want in, man!"
But how to do it, you know? Not hospitalization, we've already seen that twice in major ways. And not just a really bad illness like pneumonia because Michael's mom has that one covered. Genevieve had the surgery covered, Michael's dad has the injury thing covered on top of hospitalization. So how, best, to get in on the panicky, miserable-making, money-sucking, time-wasting bandwagon? Hey! How about we exploit two of her least favorite things. Itchiness and control over her body temperature! Only, let's make her miserable and practically immobile, too, okay?
Last Tuesday, as I leaving work, I noticed that a very small skin irritation on my leg was getting worse and turning rash-like and these small red dots were appearing on my arm. Maybe like five on each arm? Nothing too bad and I figured I was crazy noticing at all. They were very small and very light. I'd been under quite a bit of stress in the last two days so I thought if I _was_ developing a small rash, it was probably just stress and I needed to calm down and relax a little. So I went home and relaxed, we had Chinese food which always helps me feel better, and then I noticed it was spreading.
Still not worried, I went to sleep. And woke up on fire in the middle of the night. Actually, more like six times. My skin was erupting in various areas in much meaner and larger and redder spots. It was not what I'd call pleasant. So I figured, okay, I should really go to the doctor because I need to get this taken care of right at the start. So after Michael left for work on Wednesday morning, Genevieve (who was a saint for the day and took amazing, patient, and loving care of me entirely) and I got ready and she took me to the doctor. All the while, I'm getting worse. It's not all over half the area of each of my arms leading up and a bit on my shoulders and spreading across the tops of my legs close to my knees. So I get to the doctor's and I'm freezing. And achy. Feverish, even. And we wait. And wait. And wait. For two and a half hours.
When I finally got in the nurse who originally took a look at me just basically kept saying the word "Shingles!" 'No, I really don't think it's shingles...It doesn't hurt and I've already had chicken pox and this is a bit far spread and fast...' "Shingles! You have shingles! The doctor should look, but that's what you have!" 'Um...okay...' So I figure I'll wait for the doctor and see if she'll actually talk to me. Well, as I was waiting, I started realizing this was seriously bad and not getting better. I had also, up until that point, thought it was probably allergic. But something was bugging me. Last year, when I had a similarly (up to this point, anyway) unpleasant skin experience in which the new antibiotic I was on attacked my body more than what I had and had my skin bubbling and changing color at work, I had come in, learning it was an allergic reaction, gotten a shot, and within an hour, 75% of it was gone or barely detectable. This rash was _much_ different. I had never given thought to all the different kinds of rashes there are, all the different textured and colors and reactions, but this experience made me thing. And this was definitely not bubbling, and while spreading fast, not spreading as fast as the allergy had. Plus, I'd eaten and done nothing that I could have had an allergy to; it was all familiar.
Still, when the doctor (a new female doctor who'd come to work with my regular doctor, Dr. Rizzo, there) came in and looked she did listen to everything I said, she suppressed the idea of shingles (which I _knew_ was wrong), and said "allergy". And even with all the thoughts I'd had while waiting, I gratefully accepted this as the answer from a well trained doctor, took the steroid shot thoroughly happy at the prospect of it going away in a few hours and going back to work, and sure some blood work just in case it's viral, why not? The steroids can't hurt, so if it is viral, at least the shot and steroid pills will do all they're able to do in the meantime.
If I've learned one thing this week it is this: The steroids can hurt.
And I don't mean they're unpleasant to take or the side effects make it almost not worth it. No, I mean they can make the condition _worse_. But at the time, I still didn't know this. So I was pleased. Genevieve bought me a quick lunch while we got my prescriptions filled, and I was now feeling distinctly miserable. Very cold, very achy, and very tired. I went along for the ride for the few errands Genevieve needed to run, all the while bundled in the car and sleeping off and on. When she brought me home and barely got in the door, to the bedroom, changed, and into bed before my body said 'One more minute and it would have been sleeping on the floor for you!'
So I slept a couple of hours, got up for a few to have some dinner, played some video games, and had my first fitful, cold to hot to cold to itchy to hot, waking up every hour night's sleep. Thursday started the really feverish achy miserable stage and I spent most of it sleeping or sitting on the couch watching TV or playing video games. Michael took amazing care of me and Genevieve (who had her tooth surgery on Thursday afternoon), and then came [abbreviated] night's sleep number two. I'd made my appointment to return for Saturday, but it was getting so much worse that I walked in on Friday instead. Fortunately the afternoon is a much better time and we barely waited before I was taken. And the minute the nurse saw me she said, "Oh no! Is shingles?! Oh no... It's worse, you know! Dr. Rizzo has to see you. I get him..." (As a disclaimer, she was actually a very nice lady. She was shingles-obsessed and a little less than compassionate the very first time I saw her, but she really was sweet, and funny, and very concerned for me.)
Dr. Rizzo is a dorky doctor that I started seeing because my primary doctor (Dr. Calamari) used to run the practice he runs now and she had him on as basically an intern and then gave him the practice. But sometimes when I'd go to see her, he's see me because they were busy and worked together. So I got very used to both of them and they both know my medical history pretty extensively. That's why I go there when I can't wait for an appointment because he accepts walk-ins. When he walked in he first said "Paging Doctor House!" and then told me that this never should have been diagnosed as an allergy. Within literally ten seconds. And apparently, the steroids made it worse! Much worse! In fact he said it probably would have stopped spreading and started getting better if it weren't for the steroids. But they made the rash spread and the illness worsen quite a bit in their 48 hours in my system.
We talked for a while while all the nurses on staff and both doctors gawked at my incredibly severe case of a viral infection showing itself as a rash. He explained that rashes are basically burns and work in the same way. My blood work implies that I can't have a viral infection, but everything he knows about medicine said it was so it was going to treat it like one (which mostly means wait a while and it'll go away; but also there was a cream involved), give me an antibiotic on the very off change it was bacterial (practically impossible), and take even more blood work to see if there's something like an autoimmune disorder, diabetes, or cancer that sped up the spreading process. Because even before the steroids, it was spreading faster and much larger than any viral rash he'd ever seen. He ultimately diagnosed me with Pityriasis rosea, told me not to go to work until at least _Wednesday_, and to page him it it got worse over the weekend.
Another rest-filled day and [abbreviated] night's sleep. Saturday it became clear it was still spreading but the steroids weren't going to up and leave just because I stopped popping the pills so I figured it would be okay. I actually went out for a while, even though I was not pleased with the appearances on my face, and got some air and sunlight. Also got to pick up my engagement ring from the jeweler where he put in a new gem for me and seemed to have cleaned it up and even put on a new rodium dip for me. Spent the evening lazily and resting again with more aches and again sleep. Sunday I woke up and everything I'd been going through hit me all at once. And this is because I'd ceased to look like myself. Along with making it's journey complete and not covering literally every inch of my flesh, it had also caused my face to swell. Everywhere. Especially in my eyes. I could barely open my left one and my right one was soon to follow. I looked literally the most tired (and deformed) I've ever looked. And it was scary. All of it was scary, but I hadn't let myself be scared yet. This was when I couldn't hold it back anymore. I was scared and I looked like a mutant.
Genevieve and Michael insist it wasn't that bad, and I hope it wasn't, but it really felt that bad. And it just kind of really hit home when it looked like that. But, after a little bit of panicking, I realized I was going back to the doctor first thing Monday morning and there were some good signs. No more fevers. I actually has some energy and an appetite. Some of the rash seemed to be actually getting better and while still reddish and a little bruised, getting much closer to normal. So I focused on those things and, as the day went on, the swelling even went down a bit. This day, though, I decided _not_ to go out. We played around with the new DVR we'd gotten on Thursday, I sorted some Magic cards, and slept actually better that night then all the previous nights since last Monday.
And yesterday, while I still was disconcerted by the swelling, it was clear that things were getting better because some of my skin really just looking like I'd had a bad tan, and other parts looked pretty normal in most lights. And the doctor was very pleased when he saw me. He told me the swelling would go down on it's own and the rash will continue to mellow out until it's gone. All my blood work came back normal (except the Lupus test I'm still waiting for) so this is likely to be the end in sight. I actually _can_ go back to work Wednesday (which I and my wallet are ecstatic about) and hopefully by the end of the week this will all be just a memory.
A very unpleasant memory. Fortunately, Genevieve and Michael made it as pleasant as a debilitating rash and flu symptoms possibly could be. I couldn't have asked for better care and I felt a hundred times better just having them around. So I guess not all the memory needs to be bad. |
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[Nov. 27th, 2007|06:31 pm] |
So I have actually been extremely lucky in my life as far as medication is concerned.
I've had some fairly extreme and not-so-good medical stuff happen to me but fortunately, there's always been a medication to fix it. From eight-month scarlet fever in second grade to finding out I have a tumour, these very unpleasant and potentially very dangerous things have all been solved, ultimately, by popping pills (yes, sometimes more complicated than that, but that's essentially the short version). And every time a doctor has asked me "do you have any allergies to any medications?", I have always happily replied "no".
Well, today, that answer has changed. Now the answer to that question is "Yes. Quinolone based antibiotics!"
See, as I mentioned earlier, my strep throat didn't go away after the first round of antibiotics. This is a normal thing for me. I'm very prone to strep and usually get it once a year and have often had trouble shaking it. So this morning, I responsibly got up very early to wait for the local no-appointment-necessary clinic to see the doctor again. He confirmed that I was not done with strep, prescribed me Levaquin ("a quinolone antibiotic used in adults as a lung, sinus, skin, and urinary tract infection treatment when such infections are caused by certain bacteria." --http://www.levaquin.com/levaquin/) as well as Zyrtec D for post nasal drip. So Genevieve and I got our prescriptions filled and I went to work.
I spent the first 2 and 1/2 hours that I was at work very busy until I finally had a chance to sit and have lunch (and take my medication). I had a quick lunch and then sat down to do some paperwork when I noticed I was getting very warm and a little itchy. I went to wash my hands to discover three patches of red on my face where I was itchy. Concerned I went to my prescription bag and read all the information only to discover that allergic reactions include rash, hives, dizziness, nausea, and difficulty breathing. Over the course of about twenty minutes I went from three patches of red to practically my entire upper torso being red with these bunch of white bumps everywhere. It looked like my skin was boiling (and didn't feel dissimilar to that).
I finally got in touch with the doctor's office and they told me to come back in. Genevieve was on her way to pick me up and Pauline had found someone to close for me. It just kept getting worse until Genevieve arrive (about 45 minutes after I first noticed it starting). That's when it stopped spreading (at that point it was on my stomach, my back, and some on my legs). As we drove to the doctor it started getting a little better. Still red and gross everywhere, but less boily. I was also getting dizzy by this point.
I got to the office and they took me in relatively quickly. He gave me a shot of a steroid, prescribed a new antibiotic and a mild steroid to take for a few days and wrote down the kind of drug I can never take again (quinalones). (This information is now in the emergency section on my cell phone and I'm repeating it to myself over and over so I memorize it quickly.) Apparently the only downside to this, really, is that one of the quinalone medications is used to treat anthrax, but as long as I stay far away from anthrax, I'll be fine (or, deal with the rash because it's better than dying of anthrax).
Anyway, now, much of the rash has subsided leaving just some random red spots but itches all over. I paid for my second set of medication today and came home. Fortunately, I didn't have trouble breathing at any point which is good. Today I have learned some important things. Quinalones = bad for Danielle! Anthranx = worse. |
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[Nov. 26th, 2007|06:14 pm] |
I don't know what's wrong with my immune system, but it sucks.
Two weeks ago I went to the doctor miserably to find out I had strep and was out of work for 2 and 1/2 days (I don't get paid when I take days off). I took the antibiotics the doctor prescribed, felt better, had a good Thanksgiving and a good weekend except throughout my throat started getting sore again.
And now I can barely open my mouth without my throat aching like crazy. Swallowing and talking makes me want to cry.
So I have to go back to the doctor tomorrow morning and get a stronger antibiotic. Although I wish I'd gotten up earlier this morning because if this stays this way, I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep.
Guh. So tired of being sick... :( |
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| Kitty troubles... :-( |
[Jan. 11th, 2007|11:21 pm] |
My kitty is sick.
I know, you're thinking "which one, don't you have like fifteen animals?!" Oreo's the one that's sick. Seemed to happen pretty suddenly, but really it's just the more prevalent symptoms that are happening suddenly. A couple of days ago, early in the morning, while my brother and mom were watching, he sort of tensed up, twisted his head to the right side, started wailing for a minute and then fell over and didn't move. He was breathing, his eyes were open, but he was just kinda stiff and not moving. (That's the second-hand description I have, anyway.) A minute later he was okay, but my mom and Chris headed right over to the vet anyway.
The doctor checked him out. All the tests he did came back negative and Dr. Stack said that it could possibly be siezures. As animals get older they can start having seizures that, considering, are not really dangerous. Still, he said to be careful and watching Oreo's habits over the next week or so and take note of anything out of the ordinary and report back. Well, another thing is we've been finding urine around the basement. Now, Sigmund has never been good with the house training. As we understand it, bijon frise's are not generally so good at house training. Whenever he's left alone for longer then he likes, he tends to have "accidents" in the basement, so we didn't think too much of it.
Honestly, we blamed him for them. However, last night, Genevieve and I had Oreo sleeping between us (I was a little clingy and had been snuggling him for like an hour before sleeping) and all of a sudden he screamed and woke us up. He was laying still, lifted his head up, and then went to settle back in. After a moment he sat up, smelled where he'd been sitting and then high-tailed it off the bed and hid behind some blankets. When I checked it was completely soaked. He must have peed without realizing it. Believe me, it has been a fun experience cleaning all of that up. Especially since Genevieve and I still had the whole night to sleep.
Anyway, I realized then that the spots we've been finding in the basement (since they've been way more frequent and in different spots) were probably Oreo, not Sigmund. And he's been really lazy and sluggish lately (way more then usual). According to my mom, he was even resistant to getting lunch yesterday, and that's never happened since the day we got him. Plus, he had another one of those possibly-seizure things yesterday.
All in all, it's very obvious that he's sick in some way. Now, he's not anciently old, but he is 12 and that's getting on in years for a cat. He could live another ten, but he could also not be around much longer. So I'm worried. Because of the urine thing, it's very possible that he's got the same type of urinary tract infection as he had when we first got him. It's much less common in females (which is why, the first time, we got him the sex change opperation rather then just the quick-fix and the diet's been doing him fine ever since), but it's possible, so maybe he's just so prone to them that, as he's gotten older, it's come back.
If that's the case, it's not fun, but it is very treatable. He'll need to have minor surgery to remove the blockage, be on some pills, and go on an even stricter diet. But all in all, he should be okay.
Is't just the something else that I'm worried about, that's all. :/ |
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[Nov. 25th, 2006|01:47 am] |
Vacation very good so far.
I've been sick the last couple of days. Just a cold, but it's been annoying. Not keeping me from having a good time, though.
Just finally finished all the school work I had to do while down here. Just in time for the drive up tomorrow. Soon I will shower and then I will sleep for about six hours.
Larger update to follow.
Happy very belated Thanksgiving to all! |
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[Sep. 11th, 2006|09:51 am] |
So, I am _not_ in Maryland right now.
See, several months ago, Lionel asked if I'd like to go to a Retailers Summit with him in Baltimore. I jumped at the chance. Unfortunately, my immune system was not on my side. As I mentioned before, I got sick on Thursday night, but went to work on Friday. Well, as the day went on, I got progressively worse. I barely managed to get through the day, and it was mostly due to the fact that Michael was there from 5:00 on to help and support me. So I went home, took a shower, and crawled into bed. We watched Dr. Who while waiting for Genevieve to get home, and soon after I went to sleep.
Saturday morning brought more deciet from my body of betterness. My stomach still felt a little sour and my body was a teensy bit achy, but I felt well enough to try the day. Michael brought me to work and decided to hang out for a little while. We bought a could packs of Pirates and played. Having the distraction helped quite a bit. The day was already going at at least twice the speed of Friday. Michael left to go get lunch, but said he'd come back after and maybe watch an episode of Dr. Who with me before going out 'til later. While he was gone I tried doing some smaller things around the store. I was doing my best over those couple days to keep the store as in shape as possible and keep up with things without over doing it. I was doing okay. I tired myself out, but that was something I figured I could solve by sitting a while.
Then, I ate something. To be fair, I ate something a little heavier then maybe I should have, but that's all it took.
Michael came back and we did watch some TV, but soon after I started getting a fever.
And, long story short, eventually I got a hold of Bevan and she came to cover the last couple of hours for me while Michael took me home. I don't know what I would have done without him that day.
Actually, I don't know what I would have done without Genevieve and Michael this whole weekend. Then took such great care of me. They snuggled me, Genevieve kept me hydrated and nourished, Michael stayed with me at work. I love my family.
I ended up reluctantly calling out of the show. I was supposed to review Rob, but I could barely get out of bed and didn't think it was necessary to inflict an audience of people with stomach plague. I had a small bit to eat and went to sleep. Oreo had come in right after Genevieve and Michael left for the show and he slept with me up until they got home. Then I slept for another eight hours.
Yesterday was spent mostly relaxing and in bed. We went out just for a bit for food. I had a bland sandwhich for lunch and we stopped at the supermarket and I got a bunch of soup and some ice pops. Unfortunately, hard as I tried, I couldn't miraculously get myself better in time to leave last night for Baltimore. I was really disappointed, but it was definately the best idea. I was still getting horrible stomach pains and emergeny bathroom visits. And my energy is shot.
So, we had a mini Lost marathon. We got through five episodes!
Unfortunately I've yet to actually be able to enjoy my new corset or any extra curricular activities I was hoping it would encourage (including practicing for the burlesque show). But I'm sure when I'm better, that'll change. (Possibly on my birthday. :D And even if not, fortunately I was actually able to purchase the corset, so I've got plenty of time.)
Anyway, I got to sleep early last night and by around nine or so this morning I couldn't fall back asleep. I'd spend so much time in bed I couldn't get comfortable anymore. So here I am, in my living room, on the couch in front of the windows. Me on one side with my laptop, Genevieve across with hers. It's nice.
I am so grateful for everything Genevieve and Michael did for me this weekend. Hopefully I'll be feeling even better tomorrow. And my birthday is on Wednesday. I'm-a be so spoiled. :D Even if all we do is watch Lost or something.
Okay, I should try to do something productive while I'm home-ridden and go to school and see what this week looks like. |
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[Apr. 26th, 2006|06:02 pm] |
So Juliana is coming over today. Finally.
We've been canceling on each other every time we make plans for the last three weeks and unless some kind of emergency comes up on her drive here, she should be here at 6:30. I don't think we're doing anything huge, mostly just hanging for a few hours and talking. Catching up, basically.It's been so long since we really actually talked to each other, it should be nice.
I still feel kind of worn out. Still on antibiotic; I finish it soon and hopefully I'll finally stop feeling so damn tired all the time. It's driving me crazy. I can totally take a two hour nap in the next twenty minutes, right? |
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[Apr. 19th, 2006|11:08 am] |
I have walking pneumonia.
With so many good things I could write about (seeing Hedwig in the city, dinner before, really excellent weekend and Easter), this is what I write about. Well, this is what's going on right now when I have time to actually write. The other stuff will, hopefully, come later.
For the last week, I've been all congested, achy sometimes, very tired, sore throat on and off, and had a really back swollen gland last week. But all of this is consistent with some nasty allergy stuff I have yearly. So I didn't go to the doctor. But yesterday, I started getting chest pains. I would breath deep, and it hurt. Got worse when I laid down, or got up from laying down. And I felt like pretty much crap last night. Genevieve took care of me, and I got to sleep, but when I woke up this morning, nothing was really better. So she convinced me to go to the doctor, and she took me. We got there twenty minutes early and _still_ there was someone ahead of me. Really friendly girl though, and the most considerate smoker like, ever. She smoked twice before they opened the door, and both times she got up, walked many feet away, and directed the smoke opposite of the people. Very appreciated.
Anyway, I ended up waiting for what felt like forever, and finally got taken. Blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and ekg later, my heart was fine. So I talked to the doctor and he determined that I have walking pneumonia. So he prescribed an anitbiotic for the infection and Singular to open up my bronchial tubes (doesn't that sound dirty?). Towards the end I told him I was supposed to work today, and before I could get the whole thought out he laughed and said amusedly, "No you're not.", smiled, and told me I was to come home and spend the day resting. So I dropped off the prescriptions, called Lionel and my mom, and now I'm home. Juliana and I have to reschedule _again_, but for tomorrow, hopefully, so it's not that bad.
Okay, it's off to bed for me. I didn't want to call out of work today, but I'm not gonna complain about getting some more sleep. |
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[Dec. 22nd, 2005|11:32 am] |
Mmmm, scrathcy throat, stuffy nose, and in bed by 8:30 last night.
And I still feel like I could sleep the day away.
But, I've got a lot to get done in the next few hours. |
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[Aug. 15th, 2005|12:06 am] |
Thank god I'm finally getting less sick. Certainly took long enough.
Of course, with how absolutely vile this new medication is, I deserve to be healthy.
Even after a ten hour work day yesterday, I was pretty okay. Worn out and a little achy, but much, much better then I've been. Unfortunately, Genevieve got a migrane pretty suddenly right before the show. She ended up calling out and I did my best to make sure she was taken care of here. We both got much needed sleep, and she got care and relaxation that eventually got rid of most of her migrane.
Today, we had a three of us celebration of Michael's birthday. Had a really nice, long, in-bed morning, took him out to dinner, came back here and got some gaming / talking in before a much reluctant but late as it was end to the evening. All in all, really good day.
It was also our official two year anniversary of gettin' back together (which will be celebrated at a later yet-to-be-determined date). In some ways, I can't believe it's already been two years, and in others, it seems like it must be a hell of a lot longer then that. It's comforting to know we've gotten this far, especially with how well things have been going lately, and how everything's seeming to level out. I am hopeful and happy for the future. :)
It's all rainy outside and the humidity / tempurature's dropped dramatically, at least for now, considering how it's been lately. I just hope it lasts. I really can't take much more swealtering, humid disgustingness. It drives me crazy. I'm so glad fall's not too far off.
Now I think I'll go organize my Magic cards for a bit and then go to sleep. |
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